Over one thousand temples and shrines reside in the magical city of Kyoto on the island of Honshu. In this capital city of the Kyoto Prefecture, respect for tradition is evident in daily life. Refined Kaiseki restaurants, picturesque tea houses, and ancient art forms are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago.
Rachelle Hruska-MacPherson, founder of Lingua Franca, traveled with her family to Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto. Discover her favorite indigenous charms and treasures throughout the imperial capital of Japan with The Luxury Collection.
Locals greet the new year with a visit to a shrine (or a hatsumode), and Fushimi Inari is particularly festive with women dressed in their best kimonos and stalls selling traditional food.
Stand on the sidelines and encourage runners as they wind their way through this incredibly scenic course that passes seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The arrival of the breathtaking cherry blossom season in April is greeted with tea ceremonies and traditional dance performances by geisha and maiko (apprentices) of the Gion district.
Full of drama and pageantry with Noh actors and musicians, this boating festival on the Oi River is a reenactment of an imperial boating party when Kyoto became the capital of Japan in the Heian period.
Noh is an ancient and revered form of theater of actors in hand-painted masks, and this popular festival performed at a shrine is capped with a bonfire.
Kyoto’s largest festival is a month-long celebration marked by elaborate parades, performances, street parties, with the highlight being a massive float procession mid-month.
Filmmakers, artists, publishers, and fans turn out in large numbers for KYO-MAF, Western Japan’s largest manga and anime trade fair.
Locals dressed in Edo-period costume parade through this small village north of Kyoto with fiery torches as part of this ancient and fascinating rite of passage for youth in the town.
Temples, shrines, and scenic walkways are illuminated with traditional lanterns as part of this festival of light in the Old Capital.
The gold-clad 14th century Kinkaku-ji, or Golden Pavilion, was once the home of an infamous shogun and was later converted into a Zen temple that continues to entice visitors today.